Odisha man carries daughter's body on shoulder for 8 kms for post-mortem
Bhubaneswar, Oct 18 : A man in cyclone-ravaged Odisha's Gajapati district Thursday apparently walked for eight kilometres carrying the body of his seven-year-old daughter, who died in a landslide, on his shoulder for post-mortem.
The incident, footage of which was shown by local channels, was reminiscent of a 2016 episode, when a man had walked 10 km carrying his dead wife on his shoulder after being denied a hearse at Bhawanipatna government hospital in Kalahandi district.
The Gajapati incident happened in Atankpur village under Laxmipur gram panchayat. Mukund Dora put daughter Babita's body in a sack and carried it on his shoulder for the post mortem.
Babita had gone missing after Cyclone Titli and the state government on Wednesday declared her dead based on information from local panchayat functionaries, though her body was yet to be traced, officials said.
The girl had gone missing on October 11, her father said.
"Babita was swept away due to landslide during Cyclone Titli and subsequent flood caused by extremely heavy rainfall in the Mahendragiri hills of Gajapati district," an official at the special relief commissioner's office said.
Dora, walking down to Kainpur government hospital with the body, said, "We found my daughter's body near a nullah on Wednesday afternoon. Police was informed and they came to our village this morning and took photographs of the body."
He told reporters, who spotted him near Laxmipur on his way to the hospital, that the police did not make arrangements to shift the body to hospital for post mortem. "Instead they (policemen) instructed me to bring the body to the hospital. I am a poor man and cannot hire a vehicle to transport the body from the village to hospital. Also the road to my village is damaged due to the cyclone and landslide. Therefore, I put the body in a bag and carried it on my shoulder."
Following this, police arranged an auto-rickshaw to carry the man and the body to Kainpur hospital.
Gajapati District Collector Anupam Shah told PTI he was trying to gather the details of the incident. "I am aware of the allegation and examining the matter to ascertain the truth."
This evening, the collector handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to Dora as compensation following the death of his daughter in the cyclone-triggered landslide.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a resident of Angul district in Odisha, visited the cyclone-hit Gajapati and Ganjam districts Thursday. He said, "It is painful to witness a man carrying the body of his daughter on his shoulder and walking down to hospital for post-mortem."
Dana Majhi, a poor tribal man from Kalahandi district, had walked more than 10 km carrying his dead wife on his shoulder from the government hospital after being denied a hearse in 2016.
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KSCA expresses disappointment over missing IPL playoffs, says it was ready to host matches in B’luru
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has issued a clarification stating that it was fully prepared to host the IPL playoffs and final matches in Bengaluru but the fixtures were allotted to other venues.
In a media note, KSCA said it was disappointed with the decision. The association stated that its president, former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, had been in touch with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and had formally conveyed the association’s readiness and interest in hosting the matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
KSCA said the IPL matches held in Bengaluru this season were appreciated for smooth conduct, crowd management and overall experience for spectators. It said this reflected its ability to handle high-profile matches.
The association also stated that it had sent a detailed communication to the BCCI explaining its preparedness and the operational arrangements followed during the current IPL season. According to KSCA, these systems have been in place since the start of the Indian Premier League in 2008 and were followed consistently, including during previous playoff matches hosted in Bengaluru.
The clarification added that the communication sent to the BCCI was only meant to provide factual and operational details and to bring clarity on logistical and stakeholder-related requirements involved in hosting such matches.
KSCA said that although it had shown willingness and preparedness, the BCCI has decided to allocate the playoff matches to other venues. It added that the reasons for this decision have not been formally shared with the association, but it respects the authority of the board in taking such decisions.
The association further said it remains ready to host matches of national and international importance and will continue to cooperate with the BCCI, franchises, government authorities and other stakeholders for conducting cricket events.
The statement was issued by KSCA official spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who also thanked the media and cricket fans for their continued support.
